When I was growing up, my father, a
violist, often had informal gatherings at the house of his friends and
colleagues to play chamber music, primarily string quartets. He was a hard
working musician who so loved music that he created as many opportunities
to play as he possibly could. Music was not just a job for him, it was his
passion, his religion. And he did everything he could to share the wonder
he felt through many activities including teaching, conducting and
mentoring. For many years he traveled from our home in Chicago to towns in
Wisconsin and Michigan to direct community orchestras. While he tirelessly
promoted himself and his activities, he was at the same time completely
egoless. He once referred to his life as "serving the muse" and
this was an apt description. His life was one of service to that which he
loved.

The experience of making music is often
transformative. Those who know the joy of musical interaction with others
of like mind will tell you there is nothing else like it. If there were
words to describe it, it wouldn't be music. (As Frank Zappa once said,
"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.") I am
fortunate to have participated in many amateur and semi-professional music
groups, from my rock and roll youth, to joining and leading drum circles,
to impromptu jam sessions with friends, to many years of performing early
music with some of the finest musicians and sweetest humans there ever
were.

Cellist David Darling understands the
transformative power of communal music making. He leads Music for
People workshops all over the world for anyone who wants to learn to
make music together, regardless of training or skill level. He puts
professional musicians together with people who could barely carry a tune
and shows them how to suspend judgment in order to open themselves to the
experience itself. By breaking down the barriers of fear and ego, he
allows the inner musician to shine through, often with amazing results.

In the tradition of town bands,
community orchestras, and amateur chamber music groups, early music
ensembles have become entryways into community music making. The variety
of music available to play ranges from the very simple to the virtuosic.
The instruments, especially the recorder, can be relatively simple to play
and yet can also support great artistry and a lifetime of learning. The
contrapuntal nature of early music allows every part to be melodic and
important to the whole sound and is therefore fun to play.

Twenty years ago a colleague of mine in
musicology at the University taught a community recorder class. When the
course was over the class wanted to keep playing together, but he had no
interest in continuing to lead it. A couple of members took it upon
themselves to find spaces and locate music for the group to play. I was
asked to come by and provide some minimal coaching and moral support. This
became a regular Thursday night gathering and, as word spread, attracted
anywhere from a few to up to twenty recorder players on any given night
for a few years. Since the group tended to be over weighted on the treble
end, I usually provided bottom support on the bass gamba.

After a while the gatherings became more
social than musical. There was a natural evolution from the focused
experience of music making to the more amorphous experience of friendship.
The Thursday night tradition lasted for thirteen years and is still
revived on occasion for music making, poetry reading or some other
creative activity.

The experience of communal music making
speaks to something primal in our being. In West Africa, the drummers are
responsible for the physical and emotional health and healing of the
village. There is an understanding that sound and rhythm somehow stimulate
the core being, whether that is the limbic system, the chakras, chi
energy, or the prenatal memory of mother's heartbeat in syncopation with
our own. Playing wind instruments is especially powerful, as breath
training is core to many physical, mental and spiritual practices. Yoga
training, t'ai chi, sufi prayer and even the singing of hymns all include
an element of deep breathing that is almost universally hailed as
essential for good health and emotional centering.

Making music together is not just fun,
it is near the core of our reason for being. It nourishes our bodies and
our spirits, it gives us comfort in times of difficulty, and it brings us
together in an intimate, safe and peaceful sharing.